Noel Rock, FG, TD, seems to be hailing a ride on an already booked taxi. Heard speaking on the various news shows today, calling for Taxis to be obliged to facilitate contactless payments for taxi fares, Well, of course, this is taking a ride on some else’s hobby horse, as the National Transport Authority ( N.T.A.) has in the National Maximum Taxi Fare Review Report 2019, called for compulsory Credit Card payment facilities to be fitted to every taxi in Ireland.

Noel Rock, FG, TD, along with many others state that these days you can walk into any shop in any town and pay for your purchase with contactless payment, true, but if your card is rejected in a shop you won’t be leaving with the goods you wish to purchase !!! Noel Rock, also states that card payments will also be helpful for Tourism, Well these same tourists wishing to book into a hotel with a credit card, will be required to have their card confirmed as valid by the hotel, BEFORE their booking will be confirmed and if the card fails to be confirmed their booking will not proceed!!!

Under the Road Traffic Acts, Article 52 S.I. 191, a taxi driver is entitled BEFORE undertaking a passenger’s intended journey, to request from the passenger an advance payment of the fare for the given intended journey, and if the advance payment is not made the driver is legally entitled to refuse said passenger service!!!

So will a taxi driver having been compelled against their wishes to be equipped to take credit card payments, still be entitled to advance payment, if for whatever reason they discern a need to do so when a passenger boards their taxi? Are they still able to refuse service if the passenger refuses advance payment? Will, every taxi driver then have to ask each and every intending passenger, are you paying cash or card? If a passenger having been asked by the driver if they are paying by cash or card, and the answer is a card, can the driver prior to accepting the intended journey, request that the said card be confirmed by the driver prior to undertaking the passengers intended journey? Noel Rock FG, TD. mentions foreign travellers who may not have any local currency, well some foreign cards, like American Express, are not accepted by many card reader machines, so what happens with these passengers? And what about extra costs charged to the driver for processing foreign cards.